


neighbour-bonding time (ft. a bug)

by dollabeach



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: First Time Meeting, Fluff, M/M, Neighbours AU, University AU, awkward cuties, donghyuck and renjun are roommates, nct - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 17:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15635442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollabeach/pseuds/dollabeach
Summary: in which donghyuck needs someone to kill a bug in his apartment so he desperately  turns to his neighbour, mark lee. he agrees. it's an adventure. (ft. renjun and jeno laughing at hyuck)





	neighbour-bonding time (ft. a bug)

it was a great day. emphasis on “was.” 

it was a productive saturday afternoon, a breezy day. not too hot, not too cold. perfect weather for running errands. donghyuck went out in the morning, went grocery shopping (a box of 8 cup ramens and, like, one vegetable), did his laundry for the first time in two weeks (after renjun commented that it “looked like a tornado hit, but only his room”), and then went out and checked out a couple books from the library to get started on his research paper. 

he was feeling pretty good. he was basically on top of his shit. 

donghyuck wasn’t lazy, just never really bothered to do chores. plus, the last week or so he was busy with a presentation and didn’t have the time or energy to do anything but chug coffee and work.

donghyuck walked up to his apartment door carrying his books, humming a bright tune. he jumbled around the pockets of his jeans to find his keys and opened the door. renjun, his roommate, wasn’t home, he noticed as he walked to his room. he probably went out with jeno or something, since they literally couldn’t spend, like, 3 hours away from each other. donghyuck rolled his eyes just thinking about it. ridiculous. 

not that he was bitter or anything. 

donghyuck didn’t really mind not being in a relationship. he had his friends (questionable friends, but still, friends), and classes, and his job at the clothing store not too far from his place. he wasn’t lonely or bored. "i'm perfectly content," he reminded renjun whenever he offered to set him up with one of his friends, like yukhei or jaemin. renjun just shrugged. 

after putting his books on his desk, he figured he deserved to lounge around for a little bit. he went to turn on the t.v.. as he was turning it on, he noticed something on the wall, a little above the tv.

it looked like a black spot, a bit bigger than the size of a quarter. donghyuck squinted. “if renjun got his acrylics on the wall, i swear,” he muttered to himself, picking himself up to get a towel. but when he got back, the spot… moved. instead of being above the t.v., it was now beside it. and it kept moving. 

donghyuck dropped the towel and screamed. 

normally, donghyuck presented himself as a pretty confident guy, unbothered by most things and people. “a bad bitch,” renjun calls him. like, he can watch horror movies at night in his room, with the lights off, by himself and still (usually) be able to sleep. he doesn’t have many fears.  
well, except for maybe never finding work after leaving university and becoming one of those sad adults with a useless degree gathering dust in some closet and becoming a disappointment to his whole family.

oh, and bugs. 

when he was 11, a spider fell on his face in the bathroom while he was brushing his teeth and scared the lights out of him. little donghyuck screamed, toothbrush falling on the floor, aggressively swatting his face and running to his mom crying, toothpaste dripping from his mouth. a traumatic experience. 

so he doesn’t fuck with those things. 

donghyuck is frozen. he’s scared to move, thinking if he moves, the bug will move too. panicking, he runs through all the possible options in his head.

option one: kill it. no. absolutely not. no way. donghyuck would rather play therapist with renjun and listen to him talk about astrology again and about how he’s “emotionally constipated because he’s a gemini,” or whatever. he mentally crosses off that option.

option two: run. that’s what he wants to do, but he knows the bug is gonna move again - like it just did oh my god what does he do okay it stopped it’s all good - and maybe end up somewhere worse and surprise him again. not an choice. 

option three: watch it until renjun comes home so he can kill it. this is probably the best idea, but donghyuck is not that patient. still standing in the same spot, he takes his phone out and rapidly clicks his contact and presses call. the phone rings a couple times before he picks up. 

“hey, hyuck. what’s up?” renjun answers. donghyuck hears some noise in the background. it sounds like he's in a car. 

“help me,” donghyuck half-whispers. he realizes how pathetic he sounds. he clears his throat. he hears someone say “who is it?” on the other end. it was probably jeno. “renjun come home now pleaseimgonnacryohmygod—”donghyuck begs. renjun interrupts him. “hey, calm down. what’s wrong? did something happen?” he sounds concerned. probably because it sounds like donghyuck is panicking. because he is. 

donghyuck took a breath. he glanced at the bug, still in the same spot, still in his house. bothering him. taking his space. it doesn't even pay rent. 

he spoke, louder this time.“i just need you to come home. it’s important.” 

there was a pause. “hyuck, can you tell me why? i need to know why. what’s wrong?” renjun was probably thinking the worst. donghyuck figured it wasn’t fair to scare renjun like this, even though he was legitimately scared. he sighed. 

“okay just - just don’t make fun of me.” 

“okay?” 

“like, i’m actually scared.”

“what? what is it?”

“i need you to… there’s a bug in the house. and it’s, like, huge, and i can’t kill it because i’m so scared sopleasecomehomerightnowplease.” the bug still hasn’t moved. donghyuck glares at it.

“lee donghyuck!” renjun screeches into the phone. he moved the phone away from his ear, because ow. “i literally thought you were about to die or something. a fucking bug? really?” 

donghyuck frowns. “no, listen! it’s really big and i can’t kill it! get your tiny ass home and kill it for me!” but all he hears on the other line is laughing. he sighs. he’s getting nowhere. 

once he stops laughing, renjun replies. “hyuck, you little pussy. i’m not gonna come home because you're scared of a bug. i’m on a date.” 

donghyuck is exasperated. “renjun, this is our house! what if-” but he’s interrupted again. “figure it out!” renjun hollers. he hears a faint “good luck!” from jeno on the other line before it goes silent. he hung up. good luck, indeed.

donghyuck grumbles and stuffs his phone in his pocket. asshole, he thought. he’s still scared, but now he’s pissed too. what could he do? there was no one else to turn too. who was he gonna ask, his neighbours? 

he never really talks to his neighbours. there wasn’t really a reason to. he knows some of them, but never made an effort to talk to them. there’s an old lady next to him, who’s actually really kind. once, she asked donghyuck to come fix her t.v. because the subtitles were in spanish and not english. in return, she baked him a batch of chocolate chip cookies which he and renjun devoured in 20 minutes. but he didn’t think she would come and kill a bug for him. 

his other next-door neighbour was another university student, a little older than him. donghyuck tries to remember his name. jaehoon? no, jaehyun. when they see each other in the elevator, they nod a greeting to each other, but that’s about it. he would ask him to kill the monstrosity, but he saw him leave when donghyuck went to run his errands. damn. 

he starts to pace the living room, staying away from the wall the pest is on. the last person he knows would be the guy that lives in front of him. actually, he doesn’t know him. he has no idea what his name is, but donghyuck knows his face because… well, he has a cute face. “it wasn’t a crush, just an observation,” he insisted when he told renjun and he went, “oh?” he remembers seeing him when the fire alarm went off at two in the morning and everyone had to go outside because someone’s stove caught fire. why they were using the stove at two in the morning, donghyuck has no idea. but he saw him, in a grey t-shirt and superman pajama pants and messy hair, looking half-asleep. and he remembers him opening the door in front of his and renjun’s. 

option four: ask a stranger?

donghyuck really doesn't want to talk to a stranger. he especially doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of a cute stranger. he looks at the bug one more time. its wings flutter a bit and it flies to the adjacent wall, and donghyuck scrambles to run to the door almost tripping over his foot. “why do you fly?” he shrieks. 

he opens his door and hurriedly walks across the hall to his neighbour’s door and knocks. donghyuck hears footsteps, and suddenly remembers that he doesn't know what he’s going to say in the first place. but he doesn't have time to think of anything, because someone swings the door open. the boy looks at donghyuck. he’s wearing round glasses with thin black rims, an oversized grey hoodie with jeans. and he looks really good. 

“can i help you?”

donghyuck realizes he’s kind of just looking at him and not saying anything like a creep. “oh!” he squeaks. usually he’s not this awkward around people, but this is an awkward situation. “uh, well, there’s a bug in my living room. oh, i, uh, live right there-” he points to the door across the boy’s. the boy nods slowly, looking a little confused, but also somewhat amused by either donghyuck’s stuttering or the situation. likely both. 

donghyuck puts his hands in his pockets, sheepishly. “-um, and i’m really scared of bugs. and i’m really sorry to bother you, but my roommate’s being a dick and i don’t really know anyone in this complex, you know, and i don’t know what to do.” donghyuck says “you know” when he’s nervous and tries to stop himself. he realizes he's rambling and stops talking. the boy tilts his head and it reminds donghyuck of a confused puppy. his eyebrows are furrowed. “so…” he says slowly. “you want me… to come kill a bug in your apartment?” donghyuck nods. “yes, please?” his voice comes out high-pitched. the boy stared at him. then he shrugged. “okay, yeah.” donghyuck’s eyes go wide, and sighs in relief. “really? oh, thank god. thank you so much.” option four: check!

the boy chuckles and follows donghyuck into his apartment. “okay, so it’s right-” he stops in his tracks. his neighbour almost bumps into him. 

the bug is gone. 

he looks at the wall the it was on just 2 minutes ago, but there’s no black spot.

“oh no,” he whispers. this is exactly what donghyuck feared would happen. the neighbour looks at him. “oh no? that doesn't sound good.” donghyuck turns to him, eyes wide. “uh…i think i lost it. um…i’m really sorry about this.” the boy shrugs again. “want me to help you, uh, hunt it down?” he laughs a little. 

donghyuck is not laughing. “would you really?” donghyuck would never offer to help a stranger kill a nasty bug. he’s surprised, but grateful.

the boy smiles. he has nice teeth, thinks donghyuck. “yeah, it’s no big deal. i wasn’t really doing much anyways. it’s like… neighbour-bonding time.” 

donghyuck snorts. “we’re gonna bond by looking for a big nasty bug.” the boy nods enthusiastically. it’s a bit weird how amused he looks. but donghyuck doesn’t question it - he’s helping him, after all. “well, i’m donghyuck. nice to meet you.” 

the boy nodded. “i’m mark. uh, got any newspaper?” 

for the next half hour, they look around the apartment with some rolled up magazines in their hands. they're renjun’s art catalogues and he would probably murder donghyuck if he got bug guts on his magazine. he can practically hear the screams. but he doesn't really care. if renjun came when he called, he wouldn’t be in this situation. 

mark looks focused, as if he’s really serious about catching this bug. it’s cute, donghyuck thinks. the way his eyebrows furrow and he frowns whenever he thinks he sees it but realizes it’s just a piece of dust. and when he walks, he almost tiptoes, like he’s sneaking around to find it. donghyuck realizes he’s not really searching - more just staring at mark. but it’s not like he wants to see the bug anyway.

they make some small talk while they walk around. mark is one year older than him, studying to become a journalist at a nearby university. donghyuck sees the way his eyes light up and how he smiles to himself when he talks about his future. he wants to become a journalist at one of the top news companies in the country. “yeah, it’s far-fetched,” mark says, quieter this time, as if he’s embarrassed. “i know it is-” but donghyuck interrupts him before he can continue to deprecate himself. “it’s really not,” says donghyuck. mark looks back at him, a little surprised. donghyuck sits on the couch, tossing the magazine on the coffee table and gives him a shy smile. “i think it’s… admirable. that you have big dreams and plans. a passion, you know? that’s pretty cool.” 

mark beams. donghyuck presumes mark thought his goals were too far to reach. maybe someone told him that they were. then he grew angry at the thought of someone telling this boy - this nice, kind, sweet boy - that he could never achieve his dreams.“do what makes you happy, you know?” he tells mark suddenly. he realizes this conversation is somewhat personal for people who were strangers not even an hour ago, but he doesn’t stop himself. and mark doesn't seem to mind either.

mark plops on the couch next to donghyuck. he sighs. “thanks. you’re pretty wise for a kid,” he jokes. he laughs when donghyuck pouts and gives him a light smack on the arm. “i’m literally only a year younger. and - hey, shouldn’t you be looking for this bug?” donghyuck playfully reminds him. mark scoffs and rolls his eyes. “yes, your majesty.” he gets smacked again. 

donghyuck figures they should take a break anyway, so he gets mark some water. it’s the least he could do. they sit on the couch, silent for a moment. donghyuck leans his head back on the back of the couch, closing his eyes. “stupid fucking bug,” he mutters to himself. mark giggles. it’s the cutest giggle he’s ever heard. 

donghyuck opens his eyes to say something, but he lets out a scream as soon as he does. he covers his mouth and scrambles to get up immediately. 

mark jumps, spilling a little water from his cup. “what?” he says, frantically, getting up as well. his eyes follow donghyuck’s line of vision. he’s looking up.

the bug. 

it’s on the ceiling, the giant thing. it’s above the couch where donghyuck was sitting. it could have fallen on him, but he chooses not to think about that or he might scream again. mark immediately puts down his cup on the table, grabs the magazine, and jumps on the couch to reach up and kill it. donghyuck closes his eyes and covers them with his hands. he hears a smack, and he flinches. after a moment, he peeks out of his fingers. 

“it’s done,” mark announces dramatically. he’s still standing on the couch, magazine above his head, proudly. donghyuck eyes the magazine with disgust. “thanks, now throw that shit out. ugh. ew.” he shudders. mark laughs, bouncing off the couch to toss it in the trash. renjun won’t see those new faber castell oil pastels, but he doesn’t feel bad. he’s just relieved.

donghyuck grabs mark and pulls him in a tight hug. they might have been strangers, but he feels comfortable around mark now. and maybe this is pushing mark’s boundaries, and he’s about to jump back and apologize. but then mark hugs him back, laughing a little, and he knows he's not. he pulls away and steps back a little bit, feeling awkward. mark grins. lord, that smile. “you were really scared, huh?” donghyuck blushes. it’s silent for a moment.

donghyuck coughs. “uh, i just wanted to say thanks, and, uh. yeah. thank you so much, really,” he says quickly. he plays with the hem of his knitted sweater, not knowing what to say.

“hey, neighbour-bonding time, remember? we’re basically friends now. or good neighbours, at the very least.” donghyuck looks up at his bright face. he can’t help but laugh a little bit. this was such a stupid situation, but at least he came out of it with a new friend. “yeah,” he said, smiling. “but is there any way i can - you know - like pay you back? you basically wasted-” donghyuck glanced at the clock. “-like, an hour of your saturday. i feel kinda bad.” donghyuck looked sheepish. 

mark crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought. he looked really good with glasses. “well,” he said. “you did make me do your dirty work. ugh, that was really tiring, donghyuck,” he pouted, but his tone was playful. “so,” he continued, walking away from him, towards the door. “you owe me something.” donghyuck nodded, following him to the door, a little confused as to why he was smirking now.

“yeah, anything. want me to like, give you some cup ramen or something? i have a lot.” 

mark rolled his eyes. “no.” 

“then what?”

mark put on his shoes. “you wasted an hour of my day, so give me an hour of yours.” he was blushing. 

donghyuck’s eyes widened. was he flirting? is this flirting? is his cute neighbour asking him out? “i-i’m not sure what you mean, mark.”

mark sighed. “i mean let’s get lunch. all that bug hunting made me hungry.” donghyuck’s face grew a big smile. “okay.”

“yeah?”

“yeah.”

he put on his shoes and follows mark, both of them giggling.

maybe donghyuck was perfectly content before. but now, he was just a little bit more content.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is my first fic. maybe last, who knows. i know i ignored like every rule of writing ever, so sorry. also this is barely proofread. so sorry again. also i don't really know how to use html so the italics got deleted... but tell me what you think! let's be friends! follow me on twt (@ meowjeno)


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